Stay With Me
by AussyAngel
Summary: "Please, Caroline," Klaus pleaded. "Don't go. Stay. With me." When Caroline is in a severe car accident leaving her in a coma and fighting for her life, she has to make a heart-breaking decision - to follow her loved ones, or live in a world without them. Based on the book If I Stay, Klaroline style. AU/AH.
1. Chapter 1: The Accident

**STAY WITH ME**

**AN: Hello all! My first multi-chaptered Klaus and Caroline fic! It seems my obsession with them is only growing. ****This fic is based on the film/book 'If I Stay' and you don't need to watch or read either to understand. All feedback is truly welcomed.**

**Chapter One: The Accident**

_Who will bring me flowers when it's over  
>And who will give me comfort when it's cold?<br>Who will I belong to when the day just won't give in  
>And who will tell me how it ends and how it all begins?<em>

"Come on, Caroline, please show me again! One more time." Elena begged, causing Tyler to roll his eyes for the tenth time that evening.

Caroline laughed, sticking her hand out again over the table and splayed out her fingers. In the last few weeks, it had become regular routine around every woman she saw, shamefully so. Elena took her hand and studied the diamond, her gaze like a child caught by a shiny object. "It's so beautiful! And so big..."

"I'm certainly lucky," she agreed, retracting her hand and admiring the gold ring on her finger. The stone caught in the candlelight, casting little sparkles across the white tablecloth. Caroline turned her head to Tyler, who was watching her closely, his focus only upon her. She smiled and he took her hand, rubbing her palm with his thumb.

"How does the story go again? I know it was only a few weeks ago, but I want to hear it again." Elena said excitedly. Stefan braced his arm around the back of Elena's chair and took a gulp of his drink as if to say '_here we go again'._

Caroline didn't mind reciting the proposal story over again - after all, Elena was a romantic and she had done the exact same when Stefan proposed to her. Except Caroline's main reason for hearing the story was wanting to hear the relay of the perfect proposal she planned for Stefan. She knew Stefan wouldn't come up with a romantic idea himself, and Elena deserved the best. She and Stefan were her best friends - she would do anything for them.

"Well, we were out for dinner with Tyler's parents, and the whole night, he was all fidgety and angry and I had no idea why. I assumed he was pissed off with his parents for some reason or maybe I hadn't done something right with them."

"Now, I wasn't angry, in my defense." Tyler smiled, taking a sip of his scotch.

"Anyway, we parted ways after an awkwardly long dinner and on the way home, Tyler was silent. He wasn't saying a word, and he was gripping the steering wheel so hard I thought it was going to break or something." Caroline's eyes gleamed as she reminisced a mere month ago. Elena still laughed as if she was hearing the story for the first time.

"I asked him what was wrong, and he said he needed to pull over and check the engine. So he did, and asked me to come out and check something after he popped the bonnet. So I got out-"

"Don't skip the part where you were being difficult saying you didn't want to get out of the car and get your shoes wet." Tyler interjected.

"They were Prada!" She said defensively. "Like I would risk getting them stained." Stefan cocked a brow, suppressing a smile. "Anyway, I braved it and got out of the car, where I saw Tyler down on one knee, with a ring box."

Elena had her lips tight in a smile and hand across her heart, like she was going to explode with emotion. She held Stefan's hand with the other. "So spontaneous."

"Yeah, didn't know you had it in you." Stefan joked.

"He said he didn't want to propose in front of his parents because they were making him too nervous." Caroline remembered and felt a bubble of joy in her chest. He looked down at the table in embarrassment.

"Is anyone up for more wine?" He quickly distracted, summoning the waiter over to his side.

"I really shouldn't, but I guess this is kind of a celebration..." Elena conflicted with herself.

"Come on, Elena, one more glass won't hurt! Two more glasses of champagne, please." Caroline ordered without her friend's permission.

"And another scotch for me," Tyler added on.

As their drinks arrived, the four raised their glasses. "To Tyler and Caroline," Stefan announced to their quaint table. "And wishing them good luck for their future together, our move to Chicago, and many more happy years to come."

**XOXOXOX**

Tyler paid for the bill - being the son of the retiring mayor definitely had its perks. He stood at the counter while Elena battled him to pay half the bill, so Caroline and Stefan took the opportunity to walk outside to the car. She wanted to clear her mind and have a moment to herself, anyway, and Stefan was never one to make a deal over the bill, or anything really. He just left it to Elena.

Caroline wondered if she was doing the right thing, marrying Tyler and taking him away from the town he was originally supposed to become mayor of. In the beginning, that was all she pictured - growing old in Mystic Falls, Tyler governing the town, raising 2.5 kids. But things had changed. _Something_ had changed. And the small town life she had planned had become too small of a vision.

She had finished college, and going between college and Mystic Falls to see Tyler was tough, but she knew it would get even harder. What was she to do once she finished and got a job? Did she really want to go back to Mystic Falls, a town which never changed once in the two decades she had grown up there?

But alas, everything seemed to fall into place without her worry. Tyler had decided to leave the town as well. "His dream was no longer there, and she was his dream", or something like that which she swore he would have found in a romance film, as he couldn't have come up with it himself. He would find a job with her in Chicago or perhaps start a new degree, maybe teaching, he reasoned. He had opened up his life to many new opportunities and Caroline could not be more happy. Finally, she didn't have to decide between her future and her love. She could have both. She could be happy. Even if she still felt as though there was something... missing.

There was no reason to feel this way. She was happy. She was marrying the love of her life, moving to a new city, and getting a dream job, with her best friends by her side. She was getting everything she dreamed.

"I know that look," Caroline looked up from the pavement to the broad shouldered man next to her as they walked through the car park. "What's up?"

"Oh you know, just thinking. Lots to plan, you know? Wedding venues, moving house, new job..." She rambled on to distract herself.

Stefan stopped walking next to her, watching her intently with his brow furrowed. Caroline stared ahead – she could never lie to Stefan to save her life. She always crumbled under his smolder. He lowered his voice so only she could hear. "You know, Caroline, if you aren't happy... You can tell me." Stefan said quietly to avoid the ears of his wife and best friend's fiancé.

"I'm fine, Stefan. Why wouldn't I be happy? I've gotten everything I ever wanted." She reassured him with a forced smile, unsure of whom she was trying to convince more - him or herself. But she realized that she wasn't lying, not really. At a time, it was everything she ever wanted.

"Okay." He stated simply, dropping the subject and squeezing her arm gently. She was grateful he didn't push it further. It had been such a nice night - she didn't want her thoughts to get her down. She would bury them within again, like she had always done.

She was positive of one thing, however - she did love Tyler, she was positive of that.

Stefan opened the front passenger's door for her and with a smile she hopped into the car. Stefan, her best friend and always the gentleman. She realized she was positive of another thing, actually - that Stefan would always be there for her, regardless of whatever choices she made in her life. The fact that Stefan's new job was also taking him to Chicago made the whole idea of moving there so much easier. _What would I do without him? _She thought as he slid into the seat behind her.

_"_After much arguing, I finally got to pay half the bill," Elena announced as she got into the backseat next to Stefan. "I couldn't let Tyler buy the whole thing. But he still shouted the bottle of wine."

"My fiancé, still surprising me," Caroline teased as Tyler got into the front seat. He fumbled with his seatbelt, twisting it around and she frowned nervously. "Hey, are you sure you want to drive? You've had a bit to drink."

"I'm fine, Care," he mumbled, stabbing the key into the ignition.

"Are you sure? I mean, I can drive if you'd like-"

"I said I'm fine!" He snapped, silencing her.

Caroline felt a lump rise in her throat and stared straight ahead, not wanting to look at him. She just wanted to get home now. Trust Tyler to ruin the good atmosphere they had; one of the more positive experiences she had had as of late.

"Okay," Stefan said awkwardly from the back seat in attempt to ease the tension. "It's about time we go, I think. Escape this bad weather.

Tyler revved the engine and the black SUV pulled out of the parking spot it occupied outside the restaurant. Rain pelted the windscreen and she could hear the rumbling of thunder nearby. Caroline chewed her lip nervously - good thing 'home' was only a short drive away.

"How about we listen to the radio?" Elena perked up and Caroline was grateful for her joyful personality and ability to bring her soft voice in the situation and dissipate the tension.

Elena reached over between the front seats and switched on the radio. The newest Nicki Minaj song started blaring through the speakers and Caroline instantly perked up. "I love this song!"

The popping tune offered a stark contrast to the violent slashing of the windscreen wipers as they cleared the heavy rain from the road. The girls hummed along cheerfully for only a short moment before Stefan reached over and smacked the tuner to the next station. "I can tolerate a lot, but there is only so much of Nicki Minaj I can listen to before I put my foot down."

"It was only playing for a minute!" Caroline protested.

"A minute of 'rapping'-" Stefan quoted in the air with his fingers- "and dubstep is more than enough to last me a week."

"Hey, don't diss Nicki!" She said defensively, earning a laugh from Tyler.

"Care, it is pretty bad." He agreed.

Caroline was about to retort when Elena reached over again. "There's bound to be a song we all agree on," she tuned the radio as Caroline huffed in the front seat.

They flicked through a few stations, going through a fair number of poppy tunes and dramatic adverts, till a soft piano melody danced through the speakers and Caroline's ears pricked up at the familiar tune. "The Fray! Okay, who doesn't like the Fray, let's be honest." Elena announced." I vote we should stick with this one."

"Fine by me," Stefan agreed and Tyler turned up the volume so it overtook the pelting noise of the raindrops outside.

Caroline didn't particularly want to listen to the song, but realized that she didn't really have much of a choice. Even so, she didn't exactly hate the song; it just bought back images and conversations she didn't want to think about. And what excuse did she have when only months before she was humming the tune or playing it in the car whenever she got the chance to?

She attempted to block it out, but the sound pulled on her heart and visions of him filled her mind. That night in the dark, illuminated by one light with soft raindrops dancing all around her like a choir. His body close to hers, no one else around, just her and him...

_Some things we don't talk about_

_Rather do without and just hold the smile._

Caroline sighed at the thought, the song enveloping her and bringing back many memories she had buried within. Elena hummed in the backseat and Stefan held her hand, playing with her fingers. He pulled up her hand to his lips and kissed it, and Caroline's heart fluttered at the sight; part of her was proud that she brought them together. They looked like a perfect couple; they were a perfect couple. Tyler was staring ahead, but his jaw wasn't as tightly set as before. He looked more at ease. Maybe, she thought, her life was going to turn out just like she imagined. Everything was going to be alright.

_Falling in and out of love _

_Ashamed and proud of, together all the while._

But she still couldn't get his cerulean blue eyes out of her mind as the lyrics swayed around her head. His offers, his promises, his words all echoed with the beat of the song. She just couldn't shake him, no matter how hard she tried. She settled her head back, looking out the window that was streaked with rain. She closed her eyes.

_You can never say never_

_While we don't know when_

_But time and time again_

_Younger now than we were before._

**XOXOXOX**

The song was over. It was quickly cut short - the sound of twisting metal and shattering glass replacing the nostalgic melody Caroline was reminiscing. The radio wasn't playing any longer. They couldn't argue about what song played next. Instead, Caroline's mind was blank. There was no sound, no touch, no breeze, no sight. Her entire world was engulfed in black.

Caroline vaguely remembered the blinding bright light that shone through her closed lids, opening them slightly just in time to see headlights slam in the driver's side of the vehicle. The mess looked as if there weren't even a car involved, like piles of metal had dropped from the sky. The front of the truck was smashed in, the engine pulled apart and spitting out the sides, but it was nothing compared to the black SUV it had t-boned.

As the car was hit, the side was instantly packed in, flipping the vehicle once, twice, three times. It unravelled to pieces, throwing out bodies as it rolled. There were tyres up the road, shattered glass glimmering in the light of the burning blaze. The blaze was fuelled by the leaking petrol, threatening to expand if it weren't for the pattering rain that fell so much softer than before. It was as though the raindrops slowed down their fall to witness the devastation as it unfolded around them before sizzling upon the scorched asphalt.

The doors were thrown off, two flattened and torn to pieces while the others had flown into the forest on the side of the road. The bucket seats had torn and pieces of rubber made a path from the truck to the car. A few headrests were also missing, probably deep in the forest from impact.

Caroline was unsure as to how long she had been lying there for. She wasn't sure how long it was until another car past, seeing the wreckage and immediately dialling for emergency on their phone. She wasn't sure how long it was till the sirens came, flooding the area with police, ambulances, fire brigades and paramedics.

Caroline's eyes fluttered open, her vision welcomed with the view of the starry night sky. Smoke flew gently into the sky. It looked peaceful.

She clenched each muscle in her body - her shoulders, her fingers, stomach right down to her toes. She felt okay as she craned her neck, preparing herself to stand up. Slowly, she brought herself to her feet, gazing down at herself as she did. She was only lightly dusted with dirt, but other than that, she saw no blood or scratches. She patted down her little blue dress and looked around, focusing on the view that stood before her.

It all came back to memory, the accident; the truck slamming at the cross-section as they drove through - what was it? Wasn't it a green light? She frowned, pain pricking in her temples. She tried to sway her mindset. At least she was okay, Caroline reasoned to herself, so the others wouldn't be too far. Her blue eyes scanned the vicinity, taking in the wreckage and small blaze. She had to find her friends.

She walked forward, unable to feel the glass and rubble below her bare feet. She must have lost her heels in the crash as she flew from the car. She squinted, blue, red and white light reflecting onto the smoky haze and refraining her vision.

The first person she saw was Elena. Caroline could tell by the sight of her long, straight, brown hair fanned around her face. She was a few metres from the car, and upon further inspection, she saw her face, the colour drained and lips already blue. Caroline's gnocchi and wine she enjoyed for dinner threatened to come up as a bout of nausea overtook her. Elena's eyes were frozen open and staring into the sky - the pose made her look angelic, like she had already floated to heaven in her cream dress. It offered a stark contrast with the blood that covered a part of her face, but other than that, she was untouched. Caroline realized that she was in the back behind the driver's seat where she would have taken the majority of the impact.

The driver's seat. Tyler. Where was he? She turned away from the sight, her breathing getting fast. People were in a flurry around her now, paramedics surrounding the area and police were stopping traffic with a barricade, directing them elsewhere. "Excuse me?" She asked one as they ran past, but they didn't even look her way. Perhaps they were too preoccupied trying to help her friends.

She looked around, asking another person. "Please, I need..." She trailed off as more people dressed in orange walked straight past her.

Caroline didn't have time for this - she would look for Stefan and Tyler herself. A group of paramedics stood in a circle about ten metres away, and Caroline quickly rushed over. Was it Tyler, Stefan? Were they alive? She peaked through, catching the sight of dark cropped hair and tanned skin. Tyler! A stretcher was being brought over, and if it wasn't for his dark hair, she would not have recognised him. He was covered in blood, his black shirt ripped open. His shoulder was contorted near his ear at a painful angle and his arm was crushed. He must have experienced a lot of the impact as well. She wondered how they could possibly put him on the stretcher, since his torso looked as though it had been crushed much like the car itself.

She felt her heart clench at the sight, ribs piercing through his skin. Judging by his closed eyes and the couple of paramedics around him, she couldn't tell whether he was alive or not. Ribs puncturing through your skin were an indication of far more damage on the inside than what showed on the outside.

She whirred around. Stefan - she needed to find him. "Someone please help me!" She called out to the dozen or so people around her. Why weren't they listening?! They looked through her as if she was nothing. They were far too focused on her friends. That, she did not mind, but she had to find him.

Caroline studied the scene - ambulance and police lights were her only guidance. But the paramedics were all running towards one certain spot in particular. They pushed past her, and she followed quickly after them, knowing they would be going to help Stefan. She had to see if he was okay. She climbed over the bank, watching them gather around the small body. It was too small, she realized, to be Stefan, her broad-shouldered best friend. She crept closer, and as they all backed away bar for one holding the person's neck, she recognised who it was. It wasn't Stefan.

Their blonde hair was matted with blood upon the dirt, thrown like a rag doll from the car into the forest. Caroline looked at the person's sapphire blue dress that was covered with dirt and blood seeped through the fabric across the abdomen. She felt her breath hitch in her throat as she looked down at her own blue dress, the same but unscathed.

It was her.

Caroline's mouth gaped open as she watched her body get fitted with a neck brace. Her leg was askew in an awkward position and bruises were already clear on her creamy skin. Her ankle was bent and she was missing a shoe. This could not be happening.

"No, no, no, no," she chanted, turning away. "This cannot be real."

_Wake up, Caroline. _This had to be a dream.

Was she dead? If she was, they would be putting her in a body bag and not on a stretcher. She watched as Elena was zipped up into a large black bag, and Tyler was not in sight. She started breathing erratically. She still couldn't see Stefan.

"Wake up!" She screamed into the chilly air, hands grabbing her hair. "Please wake up!"

She pinched her skin. She looked back up. The wreckage still remained in front of her.

"On the count of three! One, two..."

Caroline whipped around back to her body, where she was being hoisted on the stretcher and into the ambulance. A crowd of a few people had gathered near the police tape - she wanted to yell at them, scream at them to move and not stare as her best friend was zipped into a bag, never to see light again. She felt ill at the thought.

She ran over, her curls bouncing around her face towards the ambulance. She jumped in the back quickly, joining her unconscious form, worried that she might fade away to nothing if she left herself too long. Maybe Tyler and Stefan were already at the hospital.

The doors on the back of the ambulance slammed shut, and they started moving. It wobbled and rushed off, the siren throbbing through Caroline's ears. She watched as the scene became smaller and smaller, before the light of the sirens and flames were no longer visible to her eyes.

****XOXOXOX****

**AN: So there we have it! How did you like it?**

**I have planned this story out and it is to have about 12 chapters + an epilogue, some a lot longer than others. So it isn't a massive story, but nonetheless, I think I will do the idea justice. It might end up longer if I flesh it out, but we will see! If you have read If I Stay, its quite different here on out. **

**Let me know what you think!**

**Follow me on tumblr at AussyAngel or YouTube under AussyAngelx**

**- Hayley**

**DISCLAIMER: I own absolutely nothing. It's sad really. The book 'If I Stay' belongs to Gayle Foreman, the song 'Never Say Never' belongs to the Fray and the title is inspired by 'Stay' by Hurts. Characters belong to the Vampire Diaries. Song at the beginning is 'Flowers For A Ghost' by Thriving Ivory.**


	2. Chapter 2: Everyone But Them

**STAY WITH ME**

**Chapter Two: Everyone But Them**

_He likes her.  
>She likes him.<br>Everyone knows it.  
>Except for them.<em>

She never liked hospitals.

Hospitals were a place which always held sadness. There were children with cancer, elderly unable to walk, stroke victims, people suffering at the hands of others, families being torn apart. Hospitals were the hub of so much pain and suffering, it was unbearable to even be within the remote vicinity of one.

It was also the place where many people took their last breath.

Caroline leapt out the ambulance, quickly following the paramedics as they pushed the stretcher through the concrete building. She watched as she was rushed towards the hallway marked with angry red letters reading 'emergency'. The hospital floors were like a maze of hallways, she almost lost sight of her own blonde hair as it was sped through the building in a crowd of people. As they reached a larger room, she was lifted from the stretcher onto the hospital bed where blue curtains and white walls consumed her sight. She was suddenly overwhelmed with medical professionals all around her, crowding her body to the point where she almost felt as though it was impossible to breathe.

"Who have we got here?" A woman asked, her hands moving frantically around the bed and contrasting with the relaxed ease of her question.

"24 year old female, car accident. Broken tibia, dislocated kneecap, punctured right lung and bleeding in the abdomen. The list goes on." The male paramedic replied, who Caroline recalled had been the one she saw by her stretcher at the scene of the accident.

"We need to get her in for surgery right now," a female nurse said more frantically.

A gas mask was pumped onto her face, which was bloodied and slightly blue. A group of six nurses then crowded around the bed, unhinging the brakes on the wheels and wheeling it away so fast Caroline had to push through the curtain that flew in front of her face. She watched as they went through heavy doors labelled 'staff only', swinging closed so she was left watching helplessly on the other side.

"It's okay," she chanted, feeling as though she was going to hyperventilate. _You're going into surgery; you're alive. You're going to be okay._

As she calmed her breathing, her mind was able to catch up with her. _Alive_. Stefan - she had to find him. If he was alive, he wouldn't be too far away.

Caroline's eye caught sight of the reception, and she sped up to it, splaying her hands across the counter. "Hello? Excuse me?" She asked the dark-skinned woman on the other side of the desk.

The woman kept punching the keyboard, not once looking up. "I need to find my friend, Stefan Salvatore?" She pushed.

Caroline waited a moment before letting out a huff. "HELLO?"

Still nothing. She was just about to jump over the counter when the entrance doors burst open again, this time pushing another stretcher which wasn't herself.

"Second car accident victim, 25 year old male." Someone told the front desk as they pushed past. Caroline's eyes widened and she turned around - hoping for it to be one of two people she was desperately waiting to see.

A familiar white buttoned shirt and skin as pale as hers sparked familiarity within her. "Stefan?"

An oxygen mask was cupped around his face and being pumped by one of the medical team. It seemed as though he was hyperventilating, but she could still see his brown eyes flickering although they were in a daze - he was conscious. Her eyes flickered rapidly up and down his body - no traces of blood or splintered limbs, and he wasn't kept in a neck brace like she was. Aside from the signs of shock that looked to be overtaking his body, he was very much alive. She let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding as he was taken down an opposing hallway to where her body was.

Stefan was alive. He was going to be okay.

Part of her heart was relieved and joyous at the realization, but that joy was quickly squashed as memories of the crime scene came to mind. Elena and her stone-cold eyes frozen open, staring up into the night sky as if her body were watching her soul lift away, her brown hair shaped around her face. Images of her blue lips and bloodied scalp flashed before Caroline's eyes as Stefan's nurses and paramedics pushed him out of her sight. Elena was dead, and Stefan was alive - what was Stefan going to do when he found out his wife was no longer with them?

No, she couldn't deal with this right now. There was one more person she had to find before she even considered the aftermath of this entire ordeal. Caroline turned back to the emergency entrance, expecting another ambulance to bring someone in with them. Tyler was still alive at the scene of the accident, granted unconscious and worse for wear, but they were putting him on a stretcher. That meant he was alive, didn't it? She watched anxiously, balling her hands into fists, waiting. She needed to see Tyler.

**XOXOXOX**

The Mystic Grill was often a place of solitude for them. At seventeen, Caroline found some of her favorite nights were unexpected ones, where she spent them sitting with her best friends. They had little care in the world; their main issues things like studying for finals or what to wear for prom. They were little worries, but at the time it was all she thought about and sometimes, it was good to get away from it and enjoy a meal with her friends.

Even if that "meal" had secret intentions.

"I cannot stop eating!" Caroline exclaimed as she shoved another forkful of pasta into her mouth. "You know, I believe eating is good for the soul - you know, stops me from getting all angry as a result of being hungry? I call it 'hangry' -"

"Caroline?" Stefan interjected, looking up tiredly from his plate. "Why did you bring me here?"

She stared at him for a moment before laughing it off. "Because I have been so busy planning prom and you have been busy doing... whatever it is that you do and I thought it was about time we caught up."  
>"We saw each other two days ago."<p>

"Well, I know, but two days is too long, in my opinion."

Stefan exhaled, not looking completely convinced but he still smiled at his best friend anyway. Caroline pushed her food around on her plate, scrounging her brain for something to say. She had basically exhausted every topic she could think of already.

"So, you know Tyler Lockwood? The Mayor's son, footballer?" She started; finding the last topic starter she could think of to bide some needed time.  
>"Yeah, I think I've seen him at school," Stefan said. "Why?"<p>

"I think he's into me." She stated as though it was the most interesting thing that had happened all week and Stefan barked a laugh, earning him a glare. "What?!"

"I'm sorry Care, but didn't Matt break up with you two weeks ago?"

She twisted around uncomfortably on her seat - this isn't how this was supposed to go. "Well, yes. But I have moved on from that! I have come to the realization that I no longer want to chase after guys who don't want me."

"And you really think Tyler Lockwood is the solution to that?" He raised a thick brow.

"He _did_ ask me to prom, after all." She announced proudly. "Although, I think I may have been the one to first hint it -"

"Don't you have Bonnie, or someone else, to talk to about this sort of stuff?" It was Stefan's turn to look uncomfortable as he stuffed some of his burger into his mouth.

Caroline was about to retort when two girls walked into the grill and caught her eye. A dark-skinned girl walked along side her doe-eyed friend, both approaching the bar. Her gaze rested on them for a moment, and Stefan caught her silence. He frowned, turning around and following her gaze.

He nearly choked on his burger.

His eyes almost popped out of their sockets, and he whisked back around to face Caroline who was already bracing herself for his reaction. "Stefan, let me explain," She began, but she was quickly interrupted by his high-pitched voice.

"You invited her," he stated, not daring to look behind him. "You brought me out to lunch just so I could see her."

Caroline frowned, surprised by how frantic he was being. "Uh, duh. It's kind of obvious, Stefan."

"What is?"

"You know. The way you both look at each other during class, the way you look around the hallways for her in between classes. So I thought I'd invite her here to... meet you, properly."

He stared at her dumbfounded. "You can't be serious."  
>"Elena Gilbert is one of my best friends. You've been into her since forever. So go on - go talk to her."<br>Stefan went over it in his brain, looking as though he was in a back and forth with himself, till he stood up, smoothing out his blue shirt.

He marched off stoically, approaching her beautiful friend by the bar where Bonnie had left her. Caroline listened from her spot at their table as Stefan introduced himself, Elena looking almost as nervous as he was. She could practically feel the nerves rolling off him from the other side of the room.

"Would you like to grab a coffee?" She heard him ask, catching Elena's bright smile as he said so. She watched with pride as two of her best friends proceeded to go sit in a booth. _Finally._

"About time," Caroline looked beside her as Bonnie plonked onto the available seat next to her. "She's had a crush on him since forever."

"And Stefan wasn't going to do anything himself," Caroline admitted, taking a sip of her drink as she watched the pair exchange conversation. "Someone had to make the first step happen."

"You're a good friend, Care." Bonnie said, and Caroline simply smiled in return.

That sat in silence for a moment before Bonnie turned and watched the pair as well. "They both liked each other, yet they didn't think for a moment that the other felt the same way. Everyone knew it but them."

As Caroline stood in the hospital, remembering the moment from years before, she didn't realize how true the statement was until now or how much it related to herself, as images of a certain blue-eyed British man came to her mind.

****XOXOXOX****

**So this is a bit of a filler, and the next chapter will be too. I just want to set everything up and get it out the road so I can make way for Klaroline, because come chapter 5, that's basically all there will be. But I will continue dropping hints of their relationship :)**

**I was thinking of mashing chapter 2 and 3 together, but they're quite different so I'll leave them separate and just update earlier. I hope you are enjoying this story so far! Reviews are awesome.**

**Follow me on tumblr at AussyAngel and YouTube under AussyAngelx**

**- Hayley**


	3. Chapter 3: Take Me Back to the Start

**STAY WITH ME**

**Chapter Three: Take Me Back to the Start**

_Nobody said it was easy,__  
><em>_No one ever said it would be so hard.__  
><em>_Oh, take me back to the start._

People thought marathons were hard work. Athletes trained hard for triathlons where they run for hours, swim against the waves of the ocean all followed by a competitive bike ride, exhausting every muscle within their body until it screams for a break. But as Caroline watched the surgeons operate, however, she realized that even the longest marathon in the world was nothing compared to the effort it took to operate on a body.

It was kind of the same, she reasoned. It was still a race - a race against time, a race against infection and to save the failing organs that lay in a mess in her torso. It was a race that could take hours, hours and hours, and they didn't know whether they were going to win or when it was going to end. It was like running a race without knowing where the finishing line lay. In reality, time was the big decider on whether or not she would pull through.

The doctors and surgeons had been staring down at her body for 3 hours and 48 minutes, Caroline calculated as she looked at the clock that hung on the far wall. And judging by the conversation they shared sporadically, they still had a lot longer to go. They were currently working on her punctured lung - the right of her body was exposed while the rest was covered with green material. Tubes stuck out of her body everywhere - a couple allowing air through her ribs and draining blood, one down her throat, and one out her arm. Her eyes were taped shut and her makeup wiped clean from her face, and Caroline was left to wonder whether they were worried she would suddenly awaken or something from her slumber. Judging by the incisions over her body and the tubes choking her though, she didn't think she wanted to wake.

The medical team had been standing still for hours, working silently and exchanging small talk every now and then. "What do you want to listen to?" A man asked who stood at the top of her head.

Another replied saying they didn't care, and he simply switched on the radio so some mindless tunes filled the empty silence.

Caroline had never been too fond of the sight of torn flesh or blood - even when Elena scraped her knee falling off a bike when they were eight, Caroline averted her gaze and didn't help her friend, the sight and smell turning her stomach. Instead, she ran away from her crying friend and getting Miranda Gilbert, leaving Elena's mother to deal with the blood. But now, she couldn't tear her eyes away from the delicate work of the doctors as they repaired the puncture, draining out excess blood and fluid as they worked. So much blood was being drained that she was surprised she still had any left in her body, especially with the amount that smeared the sides of their aprons and bloodied the gloves of their hands a bright red. The scene looked more like Hannibal dissecting a body rather than some people trying everything in their power to save it.

Of all the people in the theatre however, the person who looked the most mentally drained was the person who stood above her head. He had a mask and glasses on, but Caroline could see his gaze was one of pure focus. He was fixated on her face, even though she swore she looked like she was lifeless and unable to move a single muscle. He was keeping tabs on the screen next to her, listing her heart rate and a dozen other things she didn't even remotely understand. She wondered how they could keep focus so sharply and she applauded them for it.

The solitude and silence that was much needed over the last 4 and a half hours, however, finally gave Caroline the opportunity to assess the situation she found herself in.

She was watching her body in surgery - her heart rate was resting at around 70 bpm. It was definitely her - same blonde hair, same star tattoo on her ankle - so she was definitely alive. She was not a ghost... or was she? Perhaps she was a ghost, and her body was going to die; it was just waiting for the right moment to do so. Maybe there was something she had to do first.

She decided to test the theory, when the door next to her swung open and hit her blankly in the arm. "Ow!" She rubbed her elbow hastily, frowning - the theatre nurse didn't even notice she was there, but the pain surging through her told her otherwise.

She let a moment pass and stared at the door. If she was a ghost, things would pass through her. The pain in her elbow was test one; test two was opening said door. She extended her hand, concentrating on her manicured fingers as the cool metal off the door pressed against them. She braced her muscles as she pushed forward, the door opening with her hand. She held it, turning around to look at the surgeons and nurses. None were even sparing a glance to the open door, or who was opening it for that matter. In a moment of clarity she realized that whatever she did, whatever she said, whatever she touched, no one heard or saw - she was simply a passenger to this world, in between, simply watching the world unfold. Neither dead nor alive, she wasn't on 'the other side', or whatever it was called. Otherwise, Elena and her mother would be there with her. But instead, she was completely and utterly alone.

Caroline continued walking out the open door - the surgeons looked nowhere near finished, and she had other concerns on her mind. She wasn't dead, but she wasn't alive, and she was free to roam and find whatever it was she had to look for and do. She need not worry for Stefan, but she did have Tyler to worry about. Even if she wasn't so sure she wanted to find him.

**XOXOXOX**

"I cannot believe it. We. Are. All. HERE! WE ARE ALL HERE!" Caroline squealed at her group of friends that surrounded her.

They all donned matching burgundy red gowns with caps to match. Matt squinted as he flicked a yellow tassel out of his eye and Stefan matched his expression at hearing Caroline's high pitched squeal.

"We are all here, together!" She continued, smiling brightly. Elena stood next to Stefan, squeezing his hand and leaning into his shoulder. They had been together almost a year and Caroline could tell that her best friends were meant to be. Epic, she often called them. Seeing them together with Bonnie and Matt as well, the people she had grown up loving and cherishing were all standing together, about to graduate high school. No one was off studying, no one was off with a boyfriend or girlfriend - they were all about to celebrate an iconic moment together, ready to leave another behind. To start college; to start fresh. It was safe to say that Caroline was more excited than anyone about the ordeal. They made it.

"Shouldn't Tyler be here, as well?" Matt chimed in, looking over his shoulder for his friend.

Caroline frowned - she hadn't thought about him. She had been far too distracted about seeing her best friends in their graduation get up and running three prom committees. "I think he was speaking to his mom about something. You know, how she doesn't want him leaving Mystic Falls behind to go to college and would rather he stay here for Mayor Duties, blah blah blah."

She laughed it off awkwardly, even though she would have preferred Tyler to be by her side. They had been dating, for lack choice of words, as long as Stefan and Elena had. But their relationship was nothing like that of her friends - it was like comparing an adult relationship with a teenage relationship. The way Stefan looked at Elena, Caroline hadn't seen that from Tyler. It was as if there were years between their relationships. But still, things had still been looking up. She simply had to work hard, like in all relationships, and travel between college and Mystic Falls to see Tyler. She didn't mind too much - it gave her a chance to visit her mother. She would be back there to live anyway, to grow up with Tyler, help her mom, and help run the cheerleading squad and plan annual events in Mystic Falls. Her relationship with Tyler was all part of the plan she had been preparing herself for as long as she could remember.

But when she looked at Stefan, and how he kissed Elena's temple at his side and she nuzzled his shoulder in response, she wondered if relationships were meant to be THIS hard.

Caroline got distracted from her thoughts when she heard a sniffle coming from next to her. "Bonnie Bennett, are you crying?"

The brunette wiped her eye with the back of her hand. "It's the last time we're together before you all go off to college."

"Before WE go off to college!" She corrected and let out a gasp. "We are all going to be roommates! We could - we could get a triple room!"

Caroline let out a squeal again and they all pulled a face. Bonnie flashed a smile. "I'm happy we're all here." She said, rubbing her eyes again.

Caroline wanted to remember this moment - where everyone was happy. A time where they all were about to rub their slates clean, ready for a new start. Their future was a wide open door and they were all ready to embrace it - together.

"GROUP HUG!" She announced, jumping up and down.

"Ah, I don't, I don't hug-" Stefan interjected as he felt arms push around him.

"Oh, get over yourself," Caroline laughed as they all wrapped their arms around their small circle, foreheads touching and caps bumping, giggles escaping them.

Shortly after, the ceremony commenced and all the students, parents and teachers took their seats in front of the stage. The banner reading '_CONGRATULATIONS SENIOR MYSTIC FALLS HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS_' blew gently in the breeze, framing the stage as students gradually got up to accept their diplomas. Caroline watched as Bonnie walked up the stairs before her, clapping her hands together excitedly.

"Caroline Forbes."

She looked up expectantly and walked up the staircase upon hearing her name, a smile plastered upon her face. Her red gown swished around her as she walked and she moved the tassel on her graduation cap out of her face. She accepted the handshake from the principal, quickly walking back down the stairs and taking her allocated seat, clapping excitedly for her peers. Elena accepted her award, and Caroline took a moment to brush her hair out of her face when she heard a familiar name.

"Tyler Lockwood." She watched as he climbed the stairs, adjusting his gown and quickly shaking the principal's hand.

He sauntered down the stairs, taking his seat behind her. "Where were you?" She hissed, cutting to the chase in true Caroline Forbes style.

"I'm sorry Care," he whispered into her ear from behind as she looked ahead."I got caught up with my mom. But I'm here now."

She let out a little huff and pretended to be annoyed, not sparing a glance back at him. He kissed the side of her head gently. "I'll always be here for you."

With that one line and the warmth of his breath on her temple, Caroline felt her annoyance dissipate and she smiled, feeling her cheeks warm. Her worry for their future together seemed to lower and the simple reminder of how much he did care for her, even when at times it seemed like he didn't.

They were going to work out. She was never one to give up, after all.

**XOXOXOX**

Caroline sat on the floor outside the surgery, just near the waiting room. The hospital was huge, and she had no idea where to start looking if she wanted to find Tyler. Instead, she simply stared at her bare feet. She concentrated on the gray star tattoo on her left foot, the image of seeing her feet from afar bloodied and missing a shoe scarred into her memory, replaying over and over.

Part of her loved Tyler. She wasn't sure if she was speaking in past or present tense, but regardless, they had far too much history for her to ignore. Even though she found herself in recent years falling for the charms of another man, she had ended up choosing Tyler. Even though she knew in her heart it wasn't what she wanted, she knew in her mind that it was right. She was 24 - while still young, she was getting to a point where it was time to start growing up and working on a future for herself. He fit into her plan. She had to focus on that or she would drive herself insane thinking about the nights spent with a man which ended up being some of her favorite moments of her life.

She felt awfully guilty for even thinking about it when she wasn't sure where Tyler was.

Caroline smoothed down her blue dress, getting up off the floor. Now was not the time to dwell or think about the past - the present was the most important, and she had to remember that she was not dead, but still very much alive. She wanted - no, _needed_ - to see what state Tyler was in. If he was in surgery, if he was as injured as she. Was he conscious? She couldn't stand the lurking worries much longer, she just had to find him and make sure he was, in simple terms, okay.

She looked up the hall when a door swung open and two people dressed in blue scrubs wheeled a bed out into her sight. She knew it came from the surgery she was located in and she quickly moved towards it instinctively, as if she didn't want her body to leave her too long; as though she may not be able to return to it.

Caroline padded after them as they turned a few corners into the ICU and wheeling her into place, hitting up the brakes. She had her own room, and didn't share with one or three other people like most did. She realized that if she was on her own, she needed more attention and care than she thought. That was never a good sign.

One of the nurses got out a clipboard and another approached the end of the bed. She was young, not much older than Caroline, but she had the eyes of an older soul, one which had seen and experienced far more beyond her years. Her brown hair was long and tied into a ponytail, and she wore no makeup but had such natural beauty that she didn't need a thing. Even after what she was assuming was a long shift, she still looked revitalized and awake.

"Hi, Meredith," the nurse in scrubs greeted the girl, gripping the handlebar on the end of the bed near her feet.

Caroline watched from a few feet away as the nurses changed over, exchanging vital details and showing each other clipboards of paper with squiggly lines. She took the moment upon herself to inspect her body - she wasn't sure what she was expecting to see, but it was worse than she thought.

A tube gagged her mouth, white tape strapped above and below her lips to keep the tube in place. Bruises were starting to appear on her face in swollen lumps, and her right arm was bandaged from scrapes. While she had a blanket covering her body, various tubes came out the side of the bed, draining blood and other fluids. It made her feel sick just thinking about how many holes and objects were stuck into her body which she could not do a thing about. For someone with a fear of even needles, Caroline had trouble watching the cannula drain fluid in her arm and didn't want to even look at the damage to her torso and legs. A machine beeped regularly next to her with her heartbeat.

Caroline edged closer and stood next to the nurses, listening in on their conversation.

"Who was with the victim at the time?" Her new nurse asked as they finished swapping details of her state.

"It was four friends, all about the same age. T-boned in an SUV. One female, deceased at the scene. One male is in recovery. One male passed from his injuries in the ambulance on the way to emergency."

"Wait, what?" Caroline interjected, walking up close to the nurses.

One shook her head as if to say '_what a shame_', but in a way like it was something they had grown accustomed to in that part of the hospital, and they quickly said their goodbyes before the theatre nurse turned away.

"No, you can't just walk away!" Caroline shouted, "Who passed away?"

The lady walked away without a second glance, looking at her clock as she had other places to be. But Caroline wasn't having any of it. She approached the young nurse, shouting right into her face. "Is it Tyler? Is Tyler alive?"

The girl looked at her sleeping form sympathetically, standing on the side of the bed and touching her wrist. "You're going to be okay," she said quietly as she looked at her nurses' watch and timed her pulse. "Even though two people you love aren't here, you are. And you're strong. Given what you've been through, I can already tell."

"Two people..." Caroline whispered, barely listening to the nurses comforting words. One female died at the scene - Elena. One male died on the way to the hospital. She had already seen Stefan, so that left only one person...

Caroline backed away as though it was getting hard to breathe in the tiny room, running her hands through her hair. "Tyler..."

Realization struck her as hard as a blow to the chest.

He will never get to celebrate another birthday. He wouldn't get to have children, and see them grow, or have a son who loves to draw as much as his daddy. He won't grow old, or reach an age where he needs glasses to read. He will never be able to take on what his family had planned for him and become the next Mayor of Mystic Falls. He won't be able to study or do teaching like he was considering, or even make another decision regarding his wide open future. He won't be able to see her walk down the aisle.

He won't be able to buy another tux to wear to the wedding - the next one he would wear would be to his funeral.

Caroline felt her heart constrict, a pain resurfacing that she felt before upon seeing Elena a few short hours ago. This was a different type of pain, however - the pain with Elena was the pain of losing a best friend, like a part of her childhood and lifeline was ripped apart and only shreds remained. The pain that engulfed her now with the realization that Tyler was dead was made up of not only grief and disbelief, but complete guilt and shame.

She wanted to go out to dinner on a double date. She wanted to find a reason to celebrate, to push past the obstacles she had created in her mind, to convince herself she was excited to be marrying him, her first real love. She _wanted_ to drive them home. If she hadn't done any of that, if she hadn't tried to convince herself for her own selfish reasons, if she maybe drove them home, they would be at their apartment, asleep in their beds. The Lockwoods wouldn't have lost a son; the Gilberts wouldn't be torn apart. She wouldn't be alone and neither would Stefan.

Tyler was dead, and it was all her fault.

Caroline felt her chest rise and fall rapidly and clutched it, tears starting to fall. She sat on the floor in her room, bringing her knees to her chest and hugging them, wails escaping her throat. A mixture of guilt and grief consumed her and she soon found herself wishing desperately to swap places with either of them.

* * *

><p><strong>So it has been a long time since I updated this! I've been busy and forgot about it. But since I have it all planned out and this was already mostly written, I thought I'd update it still.<strong>

**So Tyler and Elena are dead, and Stefan is very much alive. Caroline is alive, but just. It's been a few hours since the accident, and most of Tyler/Caroline's story is explained. Basically, she loved him once but circumstances changed over the years. If you're still confused, we are going to visit more flashbacks where I will introduce how she met Klaus, and how he changed things for her. How he changed her plans, her hopes and dreams. But I needed to get Tyler out of the way first! (Wow that sounds awful XD)**

**So chapter 5 - you will meet Klaus! Next chapter - we will see how Stefan is doing, and visit another flashback with Steroline and their awesome bromance! A planned proposal and preparing to meet one of Stefan's work colleagues ;)**

**Let me know what you think and trust me, your patience with Klaroline will be worth it! I promise! Any questions and confusion, ask and I'll try to clear it up!**

**Follow me on tumblr: AussyAngel and YouTube: AussyAngelx**

**- Hayley xo**

**_- 'The Scientist' belongs to Coldplay. 'If I Stay' belongs to Gayle Foreman._**


End file.
